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Victorian Townhouse of Santa Barbara

Oak Park, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

About the property

Townhome1000 sqft

Bedrooms2

Sleeps6

Bathrooms2

Half Baths1

Minimum Stay30 nights

Townhome, 2 Bedrooms + Convertible bed(s), 2.5 Baths, (Sleeps 4-6)

This townhouse is in a charming Queen Anne Victorian duplex situated behind our 150+/- year old home, one of Santa Barbara's oldest Victorians, which was built in the mid 1800's. We restored the house in 1998.

Completed in 2001 in the same style as the main house, the duplex boasts a tower, complete with “witches cap”. The townhouse is tastefully furnished with an eclectic mix of family heirlooms and craftsman style furniture.

Features include hand-inlaid wood floors, a bay window/window-seat, and a fireplace in the living room.

The covered deck is cozily ensconced in the tower creating a wonderful outdoor room. Situated just off the kitchen, the deck can become a private retreat for morning coffee, an outdoor room that's just perfect for a luncheon, a bridge game, an intimate candlelit dinner, or a nightcap.

This unit has 2 bedroom and 2 1/2 baths. It offers sleeping capacity for up to 6. There is a king bed in the master; and twin beds in the second bedroom. The living room couch is a futon that can be made into a double bed. The two bedrooms are upstairs above the living area and have cathedral ceilings.

Owner

Cliff & Karen

Member Since 2002

Response rate:

100%

Response time:

within one day

Speaks:

english, Some ASL

Calendar last updated:

May 7, 2018

About Cliff & Karen

Cliff and I have been married 41 years. We raised 8 chlldren. We have 14 grands.
He is a graduate architect (University of Cincinnati School of Art, Architecture, and Design). I am a registered medical technologist (B.S. University of Louisville), turned sales rep. He's semi-retired, working exclusively on our own properties. I am still working full time as a sales rep. for Agilent Technologies.

Cliff & Karen purchased this Townhome in 1997

Why Cliff & Karen chose Oak Park

This property is special to Santa Barbara; and, to us. It is one of the last 52 Victorian survivors. It's pictured and described in a book that was chartered by the State of California when they inventoried all the oldest buildings. You can find it in the Historical Society's library.
The Cottage was built circa 1865, before Stearns Wharf. We can prove the approximate date because of water and salt stains that we found on the inside of the siding boards, which proves it was built before Stearns Wharf. The stains are equi-distant from the top and bottom edges. If you can figure out why, we'll include a fruit basket in the unit when you arrive. :-)

What makes this Townhome unique

Historic property. For all you history buffs, we would be happy to explain the fascinating details that helped us date the original building, the cottage. Furthermore, it is one of the Victorians listed in the book about Santa Barbara's 52 surviving Victorians. We have original documents dating back to the late 1890s demonstrating when the cottage was moved to it's current location, as well as where it was originally built. And, we can show you in the basement we excavated how the house doesn't fit the foundation, proving that it was not built on site, rather moved and placed on a foundation that was built for it, albeit, poorly measured.
When we built the duplex, 3 years after we purchased and restored the cottage, we paid attention to detail to make it accurate to the era it represents; and, in which, the original cottage was built.
Historic tours of Santa Barbara are also available. Let us know if you are interested.

Notes

Housekeeping optional by arrangement for an additional fee.

11 Reviews

Wonderful4.9/5

Latest reviews

1 - 6 of 11

Great location

4/5

Stayed Aug 2017

Great location, close to several bus lines,easy walk to restaurants, which is good because kitchen facilities and cookware are limited. Karen and Cliff , and Jimmy, are really nice people . Furnishings could use updating. A window air conditioner for the bedroom would be nice.

Submitted Oct 07, 2017

Wonderful Location! Handy to Everything in Downtown Santa Barbara

5/5

Stayed Jan 2017

Victorian Townhouses of Santa BarbaraCamarillo

Beautiful property! Friendly and accommodating hosts. An easy walk to downtown. Plenty to do in Santa Barbara. And, an excellent place to return to. Definitely will stay again.

Submitted Feb 21, 2017

The Perfect Girls Weekend

5/5

Stayed Sep 2016

Marjorie D.Bakersfield, Ca

Perfect weekend with my Bunko girls. As soon as we arrived on Fri, we opened all the windows and didn't close them until we left on Sunday. We visited, cooked, ate, drank, sat in the spa and laughed for two whole days!

Submitted Sep 19, 2016

Great place for our family reunion

5/5

Stayed Aug 2015

Becky H.

Just returned from a terrific weekend in Santa Barbara. Our accommodations were perfect for my 2 adult children, their spouses and me. Karen and Cliff are great hosts! The townhouse was comfortable, inviting with enough room for the 5 of us to have our own space. We were here for the Fiesta and found ourselves only 3 blocks from the parade as well as many sights and venues. There is a market only a couple of blocks away as well as a trolley that takes you right to the waterfront. I would definitely recommend this place and would come back again!

Submitted Aug 10, 2015

Wonderful location - walk to State Street and so much more!

5/5

Stayed Jun 2015

Scott B.Irvine, CA

We loved our four night stay at the townhouse. The location was perfect. It's an easy walk to the Arlington Theater and lots of restaurants on & off State Street, Public Market, Ensemble Theatre Company, and McConnell's Ice Cream on De la Vina. There is a convenient little market around the corner, and a 5-min drive to larger grocery stores. The townhouse was a good size, 2 bedrooms upstairs (one with a king, one with two twins) and two bathrooms (tub in master, shower in upstairs hall bathroom), and a powder room downstairs. The living room has a futon that fits two adults, so the townhouse can accommodate 6 people comfortably. There is a flat screen TV and DVD player in the living room, and another TV in the master, and an extensive DVD collection available upon request. Ceiling fans in both bedrooms, the living room, and the kitchen, which made it very pleasant with the windows open. Lots of closet space in the bedrooms, and a full sized washer & dryer in the garage. Off the living room/kitchen area of our unit (front unit of the two) was a large deck (both units share) with a large hot tub & a grill, and a nice sized patio table & chairs. The townhouse was very comfortable and clean. The kitchen had a good sized refrigerator, a dishwasher, coffee maker, and was equipped with dishes, glasses, cookware, and bar seating, but as mentioned the patio was just steps away. Included is a one-car enclosed garage for each unit, and we always found convenient street parking as well. Because the townhouses are behind the main house, it was quiet and relaxing. The first level is the garage, the second level is the living room, kitchen & deck, and the third level is where the bedrooms are located. The owners, Karen & Cliff, live in the front house, and are very nice, friendly and great hosts! We had a nice stay while attending a UCSB graduation. Very convenient to UCSB, downtown, and less than an hour to Solvang and nearby wine country. Great neighborhood for walking and admiring the quaint historical homes as well!

Submitted Jul 06, 2015

A wonderful two week respite from the winter in Maine...

5/5

Stayed Mar 2015

MoiaYork Harbor Maine

Wonderful stay in a beautiful setting. Townhouse was comfortable, quiet, private and convenient to all things we wanted to see and do in lovely Santa Barabara. Karen and Cliff are wonderful hosts. I would return again and highly recommend this to friends and everyone.

Submitted Apr 02, 2015

1 - 6 of 11

Location

Oak Park, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

Within walking distance are restaurants, shops, theaters, and museums. Santa Barbara has a vibrant downtown. There's a wonderful park a few blocks east with a terrific and intricate jungle gym called Kids' World. the Chase Palm Park park is just across the street from Kids' World. It's a quiet peaceful park in which to walk and enjoy many species of flowering trees, bushes, and other plants.

Availability

Additional information about rental rates

N.B. We have advertised on VRBO for over 10 years. And we consider the VRBO and Homeaway family of websites to be excellent advertising venues.
Although they may indicate that the reservation is being held for you for only 24 hours, we may take longer than that to get back to you. Please feel free to reach out to us directly, if we haven't responded to you. We will respond to both through VRBO/Homeaway email AND your personal email. And, even if they indicate that the reservation is no longer available, we will reach out to you, either way; even after they have sent you that message.
REFUNDABLE DAMAGE DEPOSIT(S) vs PROPERTY DAMAGE PROTECTION: The latter is an insurance policy with additional travel protections. I will gladly send you a copy of the policy; or, it's available on the VRBO/Homeaway website(s):
You can choose EITHER Property Damage Protection for a $59 fee (which purchases up to $1500 in accidental property damage); OR, you can pay a refundable damage deposit, which we refund 2 weeks after departure, assuming no damage; and, it will also serve to hold your reservation; OR, you can choose both types of property damage protection. If you choose only the $59 Property Damage Protection policy, we will require a deposit against rent to hold the reservation. You will need to inform us of whether you are purchasing Property Damage Protection, paying a refundable damage deposit, or both.
PETS:
We are dog friendly. The refundable pet deposit is $250/dog. I know, VRBO calls it a fee. But, we refund it as long as there is no pet damage. The limit is 2 small to medium size dogs. We do not accept cats because they are so allergenic and many people will refuse to rent if there has ever been a cat in the unit.
TAXES: Stays of 30 nights/31 days, or more, incur no taxes.
Please feel free to contact us for additional information. SBTownhouse@cox.net